Black Prince
By H. Kent Helvie

The wet steelhead fly makes up a large diversified and
important group of dressings. The term wet fly is a catch
all phrase for those flies that do not qualify as a dry,
Spey or prawn, etc. Some of these flies are traditional
patterns but many are far from traditional, basic or
standard yet they all fall into the same class by a freak
chance of fate.

Many of these flies can challenge and test a tier's skill
and patience. Their intricate design and unusual use of
materials help make them unique. Others are what many
professional fisherman call guide flies, flies that are
very effective on the fish and are quick and inexpensive
to tie because clients often lose a lot of flies. Big,
lead eyed leeched patterns are good examples of guide flies
but they can be nearly fatal if they hit you in the head.

Graceful low water flies also fall into this group. Many
low water patterns are trimmed-down standard flies yet
others are sleek flies specifically designed for this type
of fishing. Quite often these flies are Atlantic salmon
flies which we steelheaders have adaped to our needs.
Although they have their own characteristics, these flies
are still wet flies. It is hard to put low water flies in
their own group because low water is generally a manner in
which a fly is dressed rather than a pattern in itself...

A standard pattern on the North Umpqua [Oregon] for years,
the Black Prince dates back to the late 1800s. Initially a
trout fly its complete origin, along with its designer, is
unknown. ~ H. Kent Helvie

Materials List: Black Prince

Hook: Standard salmon or sheelhead hook.

Tag: Oval silver tinsel.

Tail: Red Hackle fibers.

Body: Rear 1/3 yellow floss or wool; front 2/3 black wool.

Rib: Oval silver tinsel.

Collar: Black hen or saddle hackle.

Wing: Black hair: bear, bucktail, etc.

Tying the Black Prince

1. Attach the tying thread to the hook and bring back directly
over the point of the hook and tie in a piece of fine oval silver
tinsel. Wind it forward five or six turns and tie off.

2. Tie in a small bunch of red hackle fibers slightly
longer than the gap of the hook.

3. Tie in a piece of medium oval silver tinsel and bring
the thread forward about a third of the way and tie in a
piece of yellow floss.

4. Wrap the floss back to the tie-in point of the tail and
wrap it back forward to the tie-in point of the floss and
tie it off. Try to keep the floss flat and fairly thin.

5. Tie in a piece of black yarn, bring the thread forward
to about 3/16 of an inch from the eye. Wind the yarn forward
and tie off.

6. Wind five or six turns of tinsel for a rib, trying to keep
them evenly spaced. The number of wraps is subject to
your preference.

7. Take a small bunch of black hair, about half of the
total amount wanted for the entire wing, and tie it in with
a few tight wraps of thread, making sure the ends of
the wing come to about the middle of the tail. Add a small
drop of head cement to the wraps.

8. Tie in a black hen hackle with the fibers about a
gap-and-a half length by the tip.

9. Fold the hackle in half, take three or four turns of
hackle and tie it off.

10. Tie in another small bunch of hair with some tight
wraps and cement. Let set a moment.

11. Wind a fairly small head, whip finish it off and
cement. The finished Black Prince.

Publisher's Note: For more steelhead flies, see the
Streamer Section
in the Atlantic Tying Section.